By Paul Iiams
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tuesday November 26, 2002
Ah, Thanksgiving. You have been in confined quarters with your family for at least two days and it's starting to make you a little crazy. Plus, one of them keeps saying something about liking gravy, but gravy not liking them.
Never fear, a break in the exciting holiday action is here. Six movies are set to open Friday that are sure to at least get you out of the house.
For kids (and kids at heart)
"Eight Crazy Nights"÷ Adam Sandler is the man behind nearly everything in this animated feature. He voices three separate characters and also comes out with his long-awaited new version of "The Hanukkah Song." If you are getting sick of Adam Sandler, like the majority of the population, this cartoon might be overkill. But, with characters being voiced by "SNL" alum like Kevin Nealon, Jon Lovitz and Rob Schneider, it might not be as bad as you think.
"Treasure Planet"÷ At first glance, you might think that Robert Louis Stevenson is probably spinning in his grave over this "adaptation" of his classic novel. But as the previews play, and you get a look at how far animation has come over the years, you think less of poor Mr. Stevenson and more about how cool this movie looks. Disney also borrows from previous successes in this cartoon feature by having the jokes that adults will snicker at, and the cute, quirky, characters kids will be begging to get for Christmas.
For adults (not Îadult movies')
"Solaris" ÷ All the critics have been talking about is this movie's pedigree. The names attached to it are impressive. Soderbergh, Clooney, Cameron all pack a Hollywood punch. But, if the movie is a faithful adaptation of Andrei Tarkovsky's "Solaris," all the Hollywood muscle in the world won't save it from being incredibly boring. For your safety, please do not eat any turkey before going to see this movie; the combination of the two may put you in a coma.
"Rabbit-Proof Fence"÷ This movie has "for your Oscar consideration" written all over it. Set in the Australian outback, the movie centers on three young girls trying to escape from a life of servitude. The movie stars Kenneth Branagh, who plays bad people very well, and it is pretty much a lock to be the tearjerker of the week. Go see this movie and your little brother or sister getting an extra biscuit won't seem so bad.
For no one (stay home please)
"They"÷ Is it just me, or was this movie supposed to come out in 1998? It is the typical "20-something-in-danger, maybe-one-of-us-is-the-killer, let's-throw in-some-pop-culture-references-to-seem- cool" movie that died a merciful death with "Scream 3." This one stars some random actress, probably from the WB, who had nightmares as a child that now may be coming true! Oh, the horror. The scariest part of the movie is the fact that you will never see the $30 that you invested again.
"Extreme Ops"÷ I can see the studio meeting now. "Let's combine ÎCliffhanger' with those extreme sports the kids like and make us a movie!" The only good thing about this movie is the fact that it will be out of the theaters very soon and begin stinking up the shelves of local video stores everywhere.